I’m super close to my goals but my upper back keeps getting in the way. Last I saw a chiropractor they said the muscle in my upper back on the left keeps clinging to my spine and pulling on it causing pain. It always seems to occur randomly, sometimes during a squat other times just getting in the car and I’m curious if anybody else has had a similar problem and how they dealt with it. Muscle relaxer? Frequent massage? Let me know

I go to a chiro 2-3 times a month. The visit includes a ten minute massage where they will focus on your trouble spot.
However, I find that decompression works really well for my upper back as well as lower. I hang off a GHR and hold a 35 lb plate. The more you do it, the easier it becomes to relax and let the spine move.

I’ve been thinking about getting regular massage treatments to work out the tightness in my back. It seems I get a strain in my traps once every two months that sticks around for a week. The last RMT that I saw gave me a referral to an osteopath. Are osteopaths quacks or is this something worth looking into?

Also, who tips the RMT? To me this undermines the professionalism of a therapist. I don’t tip my dental hygienist, so why would I do it for a massage therapist? What’s the norm?

I go to the chiro once a week and get deep tissue massage every few weeks. Currently I’m contest prepping and both are extremely helpful and beneficial. In the off season I will still go to the chiro once a week, and get a massage once a month.

I have some lower back problems resulting from some pelvic misalignment that I go to the chiro for, it’s helped the pain overall and I can definitely feel a difference while training as well.

The massage has been absolutely awesome, I always feel fantastic in and out of the gym the week after. If you get a massage I recommend a good massage therapist, and not a commercial place.